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Father arrested after leaving son, 7, in car while working at Jacksonville furniture store

An Afghan immigrant was arrested about noon Sunday after leaving his 7-year-old son inside a shaded car with all four widows partially down while he cleaned an Atlantic Boulevard furniture store, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office

Hamid Ahmad Nike Mohammad Ahmadzada, 49, has been charged with willful neglect of a child that doesn’t cause great bodily harm, according to a police arrest report.

A woman saw the boy alone inside the car before she went into American Signature Furniture. She was inside the store for about 20 minutes and called police after leaving the store and realizing the boy was still unattended inside the car.

When police arrived about 11:20 a.m., the 7-year-old was lying in the front passenger seat of the car. The vehicle was parked under a tree and had some shade, the report said.

Police noted that all four windows were at least one-third of the way down. The boy was not in distress, the report said.

The boy told officers his father was inside the furniture store, but was unable to communicate more because he spoke limited English.

The temperature outside the store was 88 degrees, police said.

Ahmadzada works for the company that cleans the furniture store. According to his arrest report, he arrived at the store about 10:35 and entered alone.

The manager of the furniture store told police there is an air-conditioned break room that the child could have waited in while his father cleaned the store.

Police attempted to interview Ahmadzada, but he also speaks limited English. When a translator advised him of his constitutional rights, he told police he wants to speak with an attorney.

Ahmadzada was arrested and booked into the Duval County jail. A bond has yet to be set, according to jail records.